Protector
by AllOverTheWorld
Summary: A lapse in attentiveness on a con results in Parker's life being place on the line, involving security guards who have no qualms about hitting a girl? Well, Eliot has to come to the rescue.  Parker/Eliot friendship  Rated for violence.


**Title: Protect **

**Author: AllOverTheWorld **

**Summary: A lapse in attentiveness during a con sets up for Parker to receive an unexpected surprise at the top of an elevator shaft. What happens when this surprise turns out to be five security guards, who have no qualms about hitting a girl? Well, Eliot has to come to the rescue. **

**Ships: None, only Parker/Eliot **_**friendship**_**. **

**Author's Note: This is my first Leverage fic so don't hesitate to inform me if my interpretation/portrayal of the characters is off, I would appreciate the guidance. Anyway I hope that you guys all enjoy this one-shot. **

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The wind was cold as it whipped across her face, sending shivers down her spine as she crouched on the edge of the building. There was a strange peace that Parker found, teetering on the edge of life and death, looking down at the lights of the city below. Cars and people moved around like ants, but the best view came when she looked up. Parker found that she could lose herself in the stars, her thoughts would begin to wander and for her, this was the best type of recovery.

A particularly violent gust of wind rocked Parker slightly, but she had been doing this so long that it barely disturbed her sense of inner calm. A normal person would have long since teetered over the edge but, as most people who know Parker know, Parker was not normal. She lived by her own set of rules that had been created, blurred, adjusted and finally redefined according to the incidents in her life. She found solace in thievery, the methodical planning that went into a heist, the secret thrill of evading capture and most of all…the payoff, well the monetary ones.

Since she had joined up with Nate, Sophie, Hardison and Eliot, Parker had discovered a new type of pleasure that come from thievery (and conning) people, she found joy. The feeling that spread through her when she saw the sigh of relief and the smile of unstoppable happiness, when Nate or Sophie told their client they had completed their task was a strange feeling. This joy was one that she was not accustomed to, but she had already gotten used to. Something else she had gotten used to was having a team, and in a way that had been her downfall today. Having people there, as her back up and her safety net, she had gotten used to taking more risks, waiting just a little bit longer inside an office without fear of getting caught. Well, until today.

Granted, the entire thing had not been her fault, but she was the only one that had any physical reminders of the incident. Her face throbbed where the bruise was dark and puffy and every breath she took made her ribs ache and stabs of shooting pain radiated from the spots where they were fractured. Not to mention the bruise on her back that was the product of being slammed into a wall by a security goon.

"You shouldn't sit that close to the edge"

Startled, Parker turned around and saw Eliot walking towered her. He, unlike her, was wrapped up in a Northface jacket and his customary hat. A smile flickered across her face, but it looked more like a wince "Normal people shouldn't sit this close to the edge."

Eliot grinned and stood next to her, looking out at the view of the city before them. There were a few beats of silence before Eliot took a deep breath and said "I'm sorry." his voice was low, soothing but there was a trace of something else beneath those emotions. Was it guilt?

Parker looked at him, confused "What for?"

"For not being there to protect you." he said simply, his eyes resting in her most visible injury and swallowing hard as he resisted the urge to reach out and tenderly stroke the wound.

"Its not your fault." she said, shrugging slightly, and seemingly oblivious to Eliot's personal struggle "It's not like you were the one who didn't tell me that security had found my gear and were waiting to ambush me."

"True." Eliot said with a sigh, his mind flashing back events of earlier that day, the sound of Parker's voice in his ear saying:

_"Was I supposed to have a welcoming committee?" Her voice was trying to be nonchalant but there was an underlying fear that betrayed the seriousness of her situation._

_Nate and Hardison were a block away from the GenCorp office, sitting in Lucille watching and monitoring the progress of the con. The lapse in focus had occurred when a tow truck had attempted to tow their car away, both Nate and Hardison had to clamber out of the vehicle to talk the guy out of it. When they returned ,vehicle remaining in it's original space, everything seemed in order. Seemed. Hardison cursed himself silently for being so lax in paying attention. _

_Sophie was rather preoccupied trying to swindle Cayman Island bank account numbers out of the CFO of GenCorp, by posing as a Los Angeles banking firm (one that specialized in making money "disappear"). This left her unable to go and help Parker, not that she could do much more than Parker against armed security goons._

_Eliot was the only one who could save Parker but while she was on the eighteenth floor, he was in the lobby. He was dressed as a delivery man for a pizza place, hardly a cover that would get him access to the main floors of the building. However, as much training as he had given Parker in self-defense, she was unarmed and probably facing three or four guards. He had to get to her._

_"Get out of there Parker." Nate said, but even as the words left his lips he knew that escape was impossible._

_"How!" she squeaked as the men advanced on her._

_"I'm working on it." Hardison said, the sound of his keyboard echoing in the background._

_Eliot knew that the men currently surrounding Parker wouldn't get scared off by blaring fire alarms or some other hack that Hardison would try and come up with. They were armed guards, trained not to be thrown off by water or loud noises. This left him as no choice, and even as he said the words "I'm coming Parker." he heard first the sound of skin on skin and a male groan which was followed in quick succession by a crashing sound and a quick hiss of pain that was unmistakably Parker's._

_Nate, Hardison, Sophie and Nate listened and/or watched as Parker first threw a right hook into the jaw of her first attacker. She was slammed into the wall by another agent and as she struggled to stay on her feet, she lashed out with a black booted foot and connected with said agent's groin._

_This caused him to let go of her and she seized the moment to try and dart towards the entrance into the elevator shaft but was grabbed by two more. The first of this pair received a punch to the face which sent him stumbling backwards. The second man however decided to return the favor and punched her in the face. With the world spinning before her Parker stumbled around, straight into the arms of another security agent._

_This agent grabbed her arms and forced them behind her back an into hand cuffs. She struggled against the metal cuffs but only succeeded in cutting her wrists. As the rest of the security guards struggled to their feet, Parker looked around desperately trying to find a way out._

_A sharp slap to her face shook her out of any attempt to find an escape. The owner of the hand was the tallest of the guards with black hair slicked back and green eyes that shone with malice "I'm going to give you one chance to tell me who you are working for and what you want. Or else things will get very painful for you." his voice was hard, cold, like a merciless winter day and a tremor of fear was instilled in Parker._

_His voice reminded her of one of the foster parents she had stayed with, Ray and Ellie Ellis. Ray was a well disguised but very mean drunk. He slapped Ellie around when he was sober and Parker when he was drunk (which was most of the time). Let's just say that Parker didn't stick around there for very long._

_"Eliot hurry!" Nate and Hardison said with their eye glued to the computer screen as Parker refused to speak but instead kicked the man holding her in the shins and then wriggled out if his grip._

_Unfortunately for her she tripped on a elevator cable and was sent flying headlong into the group of guards. She tried to scramble to her feet but received a vicious kick to the stomach/ribs which caused her to cry out in pain and curl into a protective ball._

_Eliot's lungs burned as he ran up staircase after staircase but the sound of Parkers own breath coming in wheezy gasps spurred him onwards. The sound of her cries of pain gave him more strength to reach those men. To reach them and punish them._

_Finally he reached the eighteenth floor (where the first bank of elevator ended and Parker currently was) an pushed the door open. Anger rose up inside of him as he saw Parker being held upright by two goons and another one asking her, again, who she worked for and what they wanted._

"_She works for me." he said, watching as Parkers head raised slightly and their eyes met. The look in her eyes was a look of defeat but beyond that it was like she was shutting down. Unfortunately this was a look Eliot was all too familiar with. _

_Parker was shutting down, at least mentally, taking herself to a different place. It was a painful expression to see on any one but it was hardest to see on Parker, knowing that she was using a technique that she had learned from her childhood. _

"_Pizza Palace trying to take over the food industry now?" one of the guards holding Parker up laughed _

_Eliot shrugged "Try me." _

"_What, you going to fight us using your pizza cutter?" the same guard laughed_

"_Nah" Eliot said "Don't want to beat you up to badly." _

"_Cocky." The guard said and walked forward, joined by three others, all of whom who were ready for a fight, thinking that it would be easy to take down the pizza boy. _

_Thirty seconds later Eliot was surrounded by five men, all in various positions of pain or unconsciousness. Parker swayed, unstable, on her feet and Eliot reached out with one arm to stabilize her._

_"Lets get you out of here." he said but she shook her head slightly._

_"Cuffs." she muttered, her voice tight from pain and from fighting the memories that were flooding to her, even in this dazed state. _

_"Got it." he said and found the keys on an unconscious guard and undid the metal bracelets, she rubbed her wrists and started to walk towards the entrance. Eliot turned to follow her and saw her sway and it looked like her legs were about to give out. Knowing this he took two steps forward and caught Parker as she passed out into his arms. _

The sudden weight of Parkers head on his arm startled Eliot out of his memory and he looked down at her "How are your ribs?" he asked

"Fine." she lied

"You're a horrible liar." he said "Come on, Nate and Sophie are out getting food and Hardison is kicking himself for not seeing the security." his tone of voice left it very obvious that he was still angry for the hackers lack of attentiveness.

Taking a last, breath of fresh air Parker complied with Eliot's command and turned away from the ledge. She swayed a little as she stood but pushed away Eliot's arm "I can walk." she said so he retracted his arm but fell into step next to her, ready to catch her, ready to protect her.

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Fin.

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**Thoughts? **

**Comments? **

**Concerns? **

**I am fascinated by Parker's character, as well as Eliot's, so I hope that you enjoyed this one-shot about their friendship. Right now I am not a shipper of anyone on the show (besides Sophie/Nate) but it may, at some point, evolve to include Parker/Eliot. So, if you enjoyed this one-shout send me a PM or a review. **

**Thanks, **

_**AllOverTheWorld **_

**P.S. I am also taking requests for different Parker/Eliot themed one-shots. **


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